Melchizedek priesthood

The Melchizedek priesthood is, in Mormonism, the higher of greater priesthood. It was named for Melchizedek, the righteous high priest and king mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible. In 1831, Joseph Smith introduced the concept of the "Melchizedek priesthood", claiming that the apostles Peter, James, and John had visited him and conferred the priesthood upon him.